Launch a Podcast – New Course!

We are beyond thrilled to tell you about our latest e-course: Launch a Podcast. Now, first off, you might be thinking “Hang on, Emma, you don’t have a podcast, do you?” And the answer is no, I do not. Although Elsie and I are fans of about one million podcasts (I feel like I listen to them all day, really) and though we’ve been lucky enough to be guests on a few shows from time to time, we do not have our own podcast. Every now and again we get the opportunity to work with other talented people and that’s exactly how this e-course came to be. So before I dive into everything you can learn, and why you should really think about starting a podcast (IMHO), I should probably introduce our teachers first.

We know that many of you will already know who John and Sherry Petersik are, but for those of you who don’t, you really should go check out their site, Young House Love. I am pretty sure their blog was one of the first ones I ever started following, back before I owned my first home and I loved following their home DIY adventures. John and Sherry are multi-talented because in addition to being great designers and bloggers, they also host one of my favorite podcasts, Young House Love Has a Podcast, which is the #1 Home/DIY podcast on iTunes with over 7 million downloads. I think they are kind of a big deal, but I love that they are also extremely kind and down-to-earth. You will love learning from them in this course.

And our third teacher is probably familiar to many of you as well—Jeremy Larson. Many of you probably know Jeremy as Elsie’s husband, and Nova’s dad, but what you might not know is he is also a very accomplished musician and producer who creates under the name Violents. And not only does he know a great deal about recording, but he also creates original videos and the music for A Beautiful Mess. Maybe you saw the tour of his home studio that Elsie shared last year? Jeremy knows a LOT when it comes to recording at home, but he breaks it all down into manageable pieces for you in this course.

So the course has some amazing teachers. But what can you expect to learn from them? Here is a breakdown of Launch a Podcast:

1. Introduction to Podcasting – What is it and how to best use this course.

2. Choosing a Format – Figuring out what works for you and your show and how to keep it flexible.

3. Planning the Content – Thoughts on brainstorming new ideas and keeping track of topics so you never run low.

4. Show Names + Cover Art – Making a great first impression and being easy to find!

5. Gear and Recording Basics – Learn what you need and how to record at home like a pro.

6. Editing + Uploading Episodes – Software, polishing that audio, and getting out to the world.

7. Titles, Descriptions, and Show Notes – These can lead to more downloads when done well.

8. Growing an Audience – No one wants to talk to themselves forever, so here are tips to help you grow!

9. Interviewing 101 – Creating conversations that other people will want to listen to.

10. Recording Interviews – How to make that conversation sound as good as it was.

11. Attracting Sponsors – How to make quality ads that you, your audience, and your sponsors will love.

12. Finding Great Music – It’s got to be legal as well as fun to listen to.

Bonus (Video) Lesson – Creating Your Own Music with Splice

This course is taught mostly through text, images/graphics, and some audio clips. As you can see from the lesson descriptions above, there is also one (bonus) video lesson showing you how to create your own music for your podcast. The course is work at your own pace, and available worldwide. You can read more about how our courses work here.

Launch a Podcast is $65 USD, but this week we’re offering everyone 15% off when you use the code: LAUNCH at checkout (offer valid until May 31, 2018).

Some of you were probably immediately interested in this course from reading the title of this post. But there may be some of you that are a little interested, but you need a friendly nudge. I am not trying to talk you into this course simply because we offer it. If you have no interest at all, that’s totally cool. But I do want to say that if you’ve ever had a great idea for a podcast, but just weren’t sure how to bring your idea to life, this is a great course. Podcasting is kind of like the audio version of blogging, but in some ways there may actually be a little more opportunity. For one, it’s not visual, meaning you don’t have to take great photos or create illustrations to participate. You could record episodes in the middle of the night if you wanted to. Ha! But second, so many visual platforms are currently pretty saturated, which makes it hard for small, original voices to stand out. Podcasting, although popular, is not quite as saturated as blogging or social media. So if you have a great idea for a show, I highly recommend you start now. I personally LOVE listening to podcasts, so be sure to share yours with us when you do. 🙂

Let us know what questions you have! We’re super excited to see what you all create from this course. xo. Emma, Elsie, John, Sherry, + The ABM team

I’m not sure that I have the personality for a podcast, but my husband and some of our friends are hilarious and they have tried starting a podcast before but it kind of just fell apart. I think I’ll mention this course to him – having a structured ‘how-to’ can maybe help them get their ideas off the ground! Thanks for this!

That sounds very interesting, I’m sure loads of people will benefit! As someone who has no idea about podcasts (I think I haven’t listened to a single one, ever), I was wondering: Would you consider writing a post in the future to share some of the millions of podcasts YOU listen to (as recommendations)? I’d be grateful for some ideas about where to start listening!

Yes! Totally. I have this on my list to do soon. I was kind of thinking maybe people would like to hear about some podcast recommendations before summer road trips or things like that. I feel like when I drive on long road trips is one of my favorite times to catch up or binge a few of the shows I love. 🙂